It contains also quotations from a wonderful prayer of intercession and thanksgiving {qq.v.)^ and a close parallel to the later Hanctus.
Ch. 34 : * For the Scripture saith ; Ten thousands of ten thou- sands stood by IJirn, and thousands 0/ thousands ministered unto Him : and they cried aloud. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Sahaoth ; all creation is full of His glory. Yea, and let us our- selves then, being gathered together in concord with intentness of heart, cry unto Him as from one mouth earnestly that we may be made partakers of His great and glorious promises.'
The Epistles of Ignatitus contain many liturgical phrases but no further hints as to the form of worship beyond the maxim, * Do nothing without the bishop and the presbyters,' and such general exhortation as the following :
ad Magn. 7 : ' And attempt not to think anything right for yourselves apart from others: but let there be one prayer in common, one supplication, one mind, one hope, in love and In joy unblameable, which is Jesus Christ, than whom there is nothing better. Hasten to come together all of you, as to one temple, even God ; as to one altar, even to one Jesus Christ, wiio came forth from One Father, and is with One and departed unto One.'
• We may doubt whether there was any definite idea as yet of a 'formula of consecration.' As Srawley has said, 'the " thanksgiving" was regarded as the sanctification of the meal, which in virtue of this thanksgiving pronounced over it became the spiritual food of the faithful ' (op. cit., p. 227).
WOKSIllP
WKITING
699
Pliny's letter to the Emperor Trnjan, important as it is from other points of view, does not fill in any details for us in the sclieme of worship. I'linj' asserts that the Christians were 'aecnstunied on a certain day to meet tosetlier before daybreak and to sing a liyrnn alternately to Christ as a god' (Kp. xcvi. 7). lie continues that, having bouml them- selves by an oath to commit no crime, they dispersed but met again to eat food — a hint of the sejiaration of the Agape from the Euchai'ist.
The testimony of Justin Martyr in his First Apology is much more definite, and must be quoted in full:
Ch. 65 ; * But we [Christians], after that we have thus washed him who has been convinced and has assented |to our toachintrj, lead him to tlie place where those who are called brethren are assembled, in order that we may offer hearty prayers in common for ourselves and for the illuminated [i.e. baptized] person, and for ail others in every place, that we may be counted worthy, now that we have learned the truth, by our works also to be found good citizens and keepers of the commandments, so that we may be saved with an everlasting salvation. Havintr ended the prayers, we salute one another with a kiss. Bread and a cup of wine mingled with water are then brought to the president of the brethren : and he, taking them, gives praise and glory to the Father of the Universe, through the Name of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and offers thanks at considerable length for our being counted worthy to receive these things at His hands. And when he has concluded the prayer and thanks- givings, all the people present express their assent by saying, ".\men." . . . And when the president has given thanks and all the people have expressed their assent, those who are called by us deacons give each of those present the bread and nine mixed with water, over which the thanksgiving was pronounced, and they carry away a portion to those who are not present.'
66 : * And this food is called among us the Eucharist, of which no one is allowed to partake but he who believes that the things which we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for the remission of sins and unto regenera- tion, and who is so living as Christ hath enjoined. For we do not receive these [elements] as common bread and common drink, but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Saviour, having been made flesh by the word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of the word which comes from Him, and from which our blood and flesh are nourished by transmutation, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh.'
Justin goes on to quote the words of Institution from the Gospels, and in ch. 67, repeating his account of the Eucharist, emphasizes the fact that it is celebrated on Sunday, and adds that the Gospels are read 'or the writings of the Prophets, as long as time permits.'
' And the well.to-do and the willing give what each person thinks fit, and the collection is deposited with the president, who succours orphans and widows, and those who are in want through sickness or any other cause, and those who are in prison, and the strangers sojourning among us, and, in a word, he takes care of all who are in any need.'
3. Principles. — From these scattered hints, from which we may endeavour to reconstitute the form of worship in tiie Apostolic Church, we must now turn to the princi|jles. In the evolution of the primitive liturgy we can discern a close adherence to the apostolic combination of praj'er and jiraise with instruction and intercession leading up to the gift of sacramental grace. At the same time we note the constant loyalty to the principle on which Hooker lays such stress — that sacraments are ' not physical but moral instruments oi salvation, duties of service and worship, which unless we perform as the Author of grace requireth, they are unprofit- able.' *